Teletypewriter code selector



Sept. 17, 1957 A. L. BERUBE ETAL N HVTORS fi L.BERU J' EB RT P 17, 1957 L.-BERUBE ETAL- 2,806,898

TELETYPEWRITER CODE SELECTOR Filed Nov. 17, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR5. flfir/n/R L. BEKUBE BY Jess/w F, BUR-r p 7, 1957 A. L. BERUBE ETAL 2,806,898

TELETYPEWRITER CODE SELETOR Filed Novl l7, l954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS. 6877/02 1.. BERUBE J'oszPu E 8021' United States Patent TELETYPEWRITER coon SELECTOR Arthur L. Berube, Maiden, and Joseph F. Burt, Woburn, Mass.

Application November 17, 1954, Serial No. 469,575

4 Claims. (Cl. 178-1) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 2.66)

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

The present invention concerns a teletypewriter code selector and in particular concerns a device of this type for attachment to a conventional teletypewriter machine to set up code combinations.

In repairing and testing teletypewriter machines and in particular in locating trouble in the machine, it is conventional to set up a code combination by hand. This is accomplished by manually positioning the code bar shift bars. The main shaft is then turned one complete revolution but in the event that the trouble is not located during such revolution it is necessary again to set up the code combination by hand. This is a time-consuming and impractical method of setting up a code combination for repairing and testing and for locating trouble because it is sometimes necessary that the setup be repeated five or six times.

The present invention overcomes these difficulties by providing an attachment that fits on the frame of a conventional teletypewriter machine and that has positioning screws for engagement with the code bar shift bars to move them into desired position and retain them there during repeated rotations of the main shaft.

An object of the invention is to provide a teletypewriter code selector.

Another object is to provide a teletypewriter code selector in the form of an attachment for a conventional teletypewriter machine to set up code combinations.

Another object is to provide a teletypewriter code selector that can set up a desired combination by moving and retaining in selected position the code bar shift bars during multiple revolutions of the main shaft.

Other objems and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view of a conventional teletypewriter machine without the teletypewriter code selector attachment in place,

Fig. 2 is a view from the right of Fig. 1 with the teletypewriter code selector attachment in place, and

Fig. 3 is a view from the left of Fig. 1 with the teletypewriter code selector attachment in place.

The present invention is, in principle, generally applicabie as a code selector to teletypewriter machines. One of its applications where it is particularly effective is in connection with the code bar arrangement present in teletypewriters used by the U. S. Navy Department and designated by the symbols TT-47/UG, TT-48/UG, TT-69/UG and 'TT70/UG, respectively. These teletypewriters are fully described in the U. S. Navy Department, Bureau of Ships Publication No. 91393, instruction book for the foregoing teletypewriters and published Patented Sept. 17, 1957 December 7, 1950. The code bar arrangement of these teletypewriters is shown a photograph, Figs. 1-4, on pages 1-4 of this publication and in Figs. 2-40 on pages 2-18 of the same publication.

In Fig. 1 there is shown stationary front plate 11 forming part of the frame of an automatic typer. Mounted for movement with respect to plate 11 is a plurality of code bar shift bars 12 adapted for movement between in position (to the right in Fig. 2) and out position (to the left in Fig. 2). A front shift lever 14 and a rear shift lever 15 are mounted for swinging movement (to left and right in Fig. 1) along slots 12a in code bar shift bar guide 13. Transfer levers 17 are mounted for actuation with code bar shift bars 12.

In this conventional type of machine the selection must be done by hand and sometimes it takes quite a while to set up teletype code combinations in this way. In locating trouble if there is set up a certain combination by hand and then main shaft is turned one complete revolution, and if the trouble is not located it would be necessary to set the combination up by hand again. This procedure might have to be done five or six times.

The teletypewriter code selector of the present invention comprises a bracket 21 having a lower portion 22, an upper portion 23 offset from lower portion 22, and a connecting portion 24. Screwed into lower portion 22 of bracket 21 is a thumb screw 26 that is provided with a loosely fitting washer 27. As seen in Fig. 2 bracket 21 is mounted on plate 11 by clamping plate 11 between lower portion 22 of bracket 21 and washer 27. Tightening of thumb screw 26 insures a tight locking of bracket 21 relative to plate 11.

The upper extremity of bracket 21 is notched to provide a seat 31 for engaging code bar shift bar guide 13 in assembled position. Thus the upper portion 23 of guide 21 in assembled position is locked in position by engagement of code bar shift bar guide 13 with seat 31.

The upper end 23 of bracket 21 is provided with a plurality of positioning screws 35 that are threaded through upper portion 23 in bracket 21 in registration with code bar shift bars 12. Positioning screws 35 are so arranged that each screw is in registration with one code bar shift bar 12 so that when a positioning screw 35 is turned it will advance into engagement with this code bar shift bar 12 to position code bar shift bar 12 and retain it in position. By selectively turning positioning screws 35 it is possible to select any desired combination of the teletypewriter code. When a particular positioning screw 35 is advanced to the right as seen in Fig. 2, its associated code bar shift bar 12 is in its marking position. When the positioning screw 35 is withdrawn to the left as seen in Fig. 2, its associated code bar shift bar 12 is in spacing position.

In operation bracket 21 is mounted on plate 11 of he teletypewriter machine by straddling plate 11 with lower portion 22 of bracket 21 and lockwasher 27. At the same time, seat 31 at the upper end of bracket 21 is brought lnto engagement with code bar space bar guide 13. Thumb screw 26 is tightened securely to lock bracket 21 in assembled position. Selection of any character or function available on the teletypewriter machine is then made by properly turning positioning screws 35 so that corresponding code bar shift bars 12 are moved into and locked in position. Repair, testing and trouble location of the teletypewriter machine can then be effected by rotating the main shaft by hand whereby the mechanic can visually follow the whole sequence of operation.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

We claim:

1. A teletypewriter machine having a frame plate, a plurality of code bar shift bars mounted for movement relative to the frame plate, and a guide for the code bar shift bars; in combination with a code selector comprising a bracket, a thumb screw adjacent one end of said bracket 'for detachably fastening said bracket to the frame plate, the other end of said bracket being notched to provide a seat for engaging the guide, and a plurality of positioning screws threaded through said bracket, each of said screws being in registration with one of said code bar shift bars and being adapted upon turning to move away from or into engagement with its code bar shift bar to position its code bar shift bar.

2. A teletypewriter machine having a frame plate, a plurality of code bar shift bars mounted for movement relative to the frame plate, and a guide for the code bar shift bars; in combination with a codetselector comprising a bracket, a thumb screw adjacent one end of said bracket fordetachably fastening said bracket to the frame plate, means at the other end of said bracket for locating and retaining in position said bracket relative to said guide, and a plurality of positioning screws threaded through said bracket, each of said screws being in registration with one of said code bar shift bars and being adapted upon rotation to move away from or to move into engagement with its code bar shift bar to position its code bar shift bar.

3. A teletypewriter machine having a frame plate, a plurality of code bar shift bars mounted for movement relative to the frame plate, and a guide for the code bar shift bars; in combination with a code selector compris ing a bracket, means adjacent one end of said bracket for detachably fastening said bracket to the frame plate, means at the other end of said bracket for locating and retaining said bracket in position relative to the guide, and a plurality of positioning screws threaded through said bracket, each of said screws being in registration with one of said code bar shift bars and being adapted upon rotation to move away from or to move into engagement with its code bar shift bar to position its code bar shift bar.

4. A teletypewriter machine having a frame plate, a plurality of code bar shift bars mounted for movement relative to the frame plate, and a guide for the code bar shift bars; in combination with a code selector comprising a bracket, means adjacent one end of said bracket for detachably fastening said bracket to the frame plate, means at the other end of said bracket for locating and retaining in position said bracket relative to the guide, and plural positioning means on said bracket, each of said positioning means being adapted for cooperation with one code bar shift bar to position such code bar shift bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,686,829 Billard et a1 Aug. 17, 1954 

